


Draco Caseum Amat

by ErinPtah



Category: Puella Magi Madoka☆Magica
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-12
Updated: 2012-01-12
Packaged: 2017-10-29 10:29:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/318922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinPtah/pseuds/ErinPtah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fantasy AU. Princess Madoka is trapped somewhere in the monster's cave, and royal knight Mami is going to save her or die trying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Draco Caseum Amat

**Author's Note:**

> Adapted from the next girlgay@dreamwidth weekly prompt (geez, these things are specific): _Create an exchange between a dying but powerful dragon and the girl who stumbled into the dragon's lair in search of something with which to save her people._

Mami swings her musket around and fires at the shape rearing up over her in the gloom. One shot goes wild, hitting a stack of treasure piled up over centuries and sending a golden vase clattering down past jewel-inlaid goblets and lone plates of armor and scraps of metal too rusted for their original material or purpose to be guessed at. The other embeds itself in black leathery hide.

The creature doesn't seem to notice.

With teeth as long as Mami's arm and a head big enough to hold them all, it's terrifying, but not built for fine aim. Mami dodges whip-fast, glad she laced her boots up tight before venturing into the cave, and paints a line of bloody weals down her enemy's flanks. The enchanted musket will never run out of shots until her foe is beaten; she knows she has no chance here otherwise.

She barely misses the next strike, dodging over a treasure chest and landing on a set of fine china, where she smashes one of the plates under her heel.

Body hits aren't weakening the thing at all. Mami changes tactics, aiming for the blood-red and navy membranes of its broad, batlike wings. No dice. It quickly realizes what she's doing and folds them up close to its body.

 _When in doubt, aim for the eyes._ First tip in the monster-fighting handbook. Hard to follow when the eyes are tiny faraway moving targets, but she's out of options, and she's sworn either to come back with the princess or not come back at all.

Mami stops short, braces her heels in front of a pile of half-rotted clothing with gold coins and tassels woven into what's left of the fabric, and readies her musket.

The dragon's eyes are mismatched and multi-colored, dizzying rings of blue and orange, yellow and pink. They make decent targets within seconds as its head swoops toward her, but it bobs and weaves so much that none of her shots strike home. And then it's over her — massive jaw opening so wide it can't possibly be hinged — she'll fire down its throat, the teeth will come down automatically, but at least she'll have a chance of hitting its brain and then maybe, maybe —

" _Stop!_ "

At the sound of a royal order, Mami freezes. That should have been her undoing.

Except that the dragon freezes too.

"Don't shoot!" yells Princess Madoka. Though Mami doesn't dare look away, she can hear the trail of clinking coins as the girl runs closer. "And don't bite! Mami-san, if Charlotte moves away, will you promise to stop shooting?"

She named the dragon _Charlotte?_ Mami stares down the monster's violet gullet, willing herself not to flinch. "I'm sworn to rescue you, Madoka-hime. Whatever it takes."

The familiar pink figure is at the corner of her vision now. "Then I'll make it a decree. Tomoe Mami, you are hereby forbidden to shoot the dragon Charlotte, unless she makes a clear move to eat someone." To the beast she adds, "There! It's okay. You can trust her now."

The dragon hisses. Mami finds herself blasted with hot, wet air.

"I mean it!" yells Madoka. "Mami's a loyal servant of the Royal House of Kaname. She won't make a liar out of her beloved princess, _will you_ , Mami-san?"

"No," says Mami grudgingly. "But the dragon backs off first."

The creature — Charlotte — inches back until Mami is no longer choking on its breath. She lowers her musket. Charlotte lowers its (her?) jaw.

"Please explain, Madoka-hime," says Mami through gritted teeth, matching the beast's dizzying eyes glare for glare. "If this...Charlotte...obeys your orders, why are you still here? Your parents and your little brother miss you deeply."

"I-it's not that she obeys me, exactly." The princess laughs, nervous and self-effacing. "I made a promise that I would help her get what she wants. So she trusts me a little, you see? It's a good thing you're here, Mami-san. You can take her terms back to the kingdom, and once they've been filled, you can come here again and trade them for me."

 

***

 

The unicorns balk and whinny as they reach the mouth of the cave. Mami feels for them; she would tether them in the forest, but the icecart's too big for one human to pull. Instead she ends up walking ahead of them, taking slow steps and gentling them every inch of the way.

Madoka runs to meet her, leaping into a hug. This much Mami has to admit: the princess looks well cared-for, clean-faced and well-fed with a silky pink kimono and ribbons in her hair. She gives Mami a brief squeeze before hauling down a hefty wheel of cheddar from the pile in the cart. "I'll go tell Charlotte you've arrived."

The dragon is lying on her hoard like a cat curled up for a snooze. At this point the unicorns flatly refuse to go farther, so they get untethered and ordered to wait at the cavemouth, then Mami and Madoka (who doesn't seem to care that it's no job for a princess) haul the cart the last few meters.

Charlotte opens her mouth and unrolls a long blue tongue, and Madoka tosses her a chunk of swiss.

Bit by bit the princess sets about feeding her companion the entire contents of the cart, from crumbling blocks of feta and strips of mozzarella to hunks of colby and savory bricks of muenster. Mami feels safer keeping at a distance. Even if the dragon really doesn't care for humans, her hair and uniform are awfully yellow.

When Charlotte's appetite begins winding down (just in time; Madoka's reaching the bottom layer of the cart), Mami clears her throat and tries not to feel silly about addressing a monster. "Charlotte...-san, the Royal House of Kaname has directed me to offer an ongoing tribute of various cheeses in return for the safety of our lands and people. I am authorized to negotiate for—"

"Mami-san," interrupts Madoka. She's sitting on a pile of tapestries next to Charlotte's cheek, stroking the dragon's wrinkled nose. "It's not necessary."

"Don't worry, Madoka-hime. Your mother says it's not worth risking another kidnapping when we have the resources to offer—"

"She's dying."

In an unladylike first, Mami's mouth drops open.

Charlotte closes her eyes, each large enough for Madoka to crawl through the socket, then opens them halfway and rolls her disorienting pupils toward the princess. The cavern walls echo with her groan.

"Shh, Charlotte-chan," murmurs the princess. As Mami watches, stunned, she drops a kiss on the night-black hide so thick that Charlotte probably can't even feel it. "I told you I'd get you cheese, didn't I? It's all right now."

A tired huff: flames flicker in the cavernous nostrils.

"Mami-san," says Madoka, nodding to the cart, "would you mind getting her one more?"

Mami pulls herself together, digs through the half-melting ice, and scoops out a wheel of gouda. She carries the soft yellow concoction up the heap of riches, stumbling over ruby brooches and strings of pearls and enough coins to buy a small nation. At last she comes close enough to offer it up for the dying behemoth's massive tongue.

Charlotte, whose eyesight was never that great, bites off her head.


End file.
